Schwartz will assume his role with the beginning of the 2014 season, inaugurating what Bay Street bills as a "new vision" for the theatre, one that ensures "an exciting and sustainable future for our cultural community."

Tracy Mitchell and Gary Hygom serve as executive director and managing director, respectively, of the theatre. They will remain with Bay Street.

Schwartz is currently directing the new musical Secondhand Lions — with book by Rupert Holmes and music and lyrics by First Date songwriters Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary — at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. He is also represented with the Off-Broadway musical Murder for Two.

"I am thrilled and deeply honored to be appointed artistic director at Bay Street Theatre," Schwartz said in a statement. "I have long admired the work done by this great company, dating back to its earliest days. I still remember how taken I was when I traveled to Sag Harbor to attend Cynthia Ozick's Blue Light, by the excitement of seeing first-class performers doing their work so close in this intimate and beautiful theatre. I look forward to working with executive director Tracy Mitchell, producer Gary Hygom, and the whole Bay Street family as we build on the rich tradition begun by Sybil Christopher twenty two years ago of presenting entertaining, innovative and thought-provoking productions for the East End of Long Island. While we've been frequent visitors for many years, my wife and I are now delighted to make a new home in Sag Harbor and to begin to be a part of this vibrant region.

"At its core," he continued, "I believe theatre is a social art form, and that a theatre company is most vital when it is a focal point for its community. I am excited to bring the best and brightest theatre artists working today to Sag Harbor, and to continue to make Bay Street a gathering place and center for the arts where artists and audiences alike will have the opportunity to enrich and enlighten each other." Schwartz also directed Seance on a Wet Afternoon, penned by his father composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, as well as tick, tick...BOOM!, Rooms: a rock romance and Bat Boy, among others.

Bay Street is currently presenting A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, starring Peter Scolari, Jackie Hoffman and Conrad John Schuck.

Bay Street Theatre is in Sag Harbor, NY. Tickets can be purchased by calling (631) 725-9500 or by visiting BayStreet.

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Bay Street Theatre is a not-for-profit institution "presenting new, classic and contemporary works with a commitment to challenging and entertaining our diverse community."